Before You Go
Internet in China: eSIM, Roaming & SIM Cards
Choose a connection that works with your phone, your favorite apps and your trip.
Get your phone ready before you fly, so you can message home, find your hotel and use travel apps after landing. Your main choices are home-plan roaming, a travel eSIM or a mainland SIM card. The right choice depends on your phone, the apps you need and whether you want a Chinese number.
On this page
Choose Your Connection
If your home plan already includes enough China data at a reasonable cost, roaming may be all you need. Otherwise, a travel eSIM is worth considering if your phone is compatible and unlocked. Choose a local SIM when you need a Chinese phone number.
| Option | Best fit | Overseas apps | Phone number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home-plan roaming | Your existing plan includes suitable China data | May work; check your specific plan | Keep your existing number |
| Travel eSIM | Set up data before flying, without swapping a card | Depends on the product and data routing | Data plans usually do not include a Chinese number |
| Mainland physical SIM | You need local calls or a Chinese number | Mainland network restrictions apply | Choose a plan with a +86 number |
Compare the cost for your whole trip, the high-speed data allowance, and any slowdown or hotspot limits—not just the advertised starting price.
Will Gmail and WhatsApp Work?
Gmail, Google and WhatsApp are generally unavailable on ordinary mainland mobile networks and hotel Wi-Fi. Some international roaming and travel eSIM plans send data through networks outside mainland China, allowing access to services that local connections cannot reach.
Check the exact plan, not just the SIM type. A physical travel SIM can also use international roaming; an eSIM is not automatically unrestricted. Ask the provider specifically about Gmail, WhatsApp and any other service you rely on.
Switching to hotel Wi-Fi changes your connection. A service that works on your travel data may stop working on Wi-Fi. If that happens, switch back to your travel data, subject to your allowance.
Travel eSIMs: Check Your Phone First
A travel eSIM lets you prepare mobile data before departure and avoid collecting a physical card. Start with these checks:
- eSIM support: Confirm that your exact model and regional version support eSIM, using the manufacturer’s information.
- Carrier lock: Your phone must allow another provider’s SIM. On iPhone, check Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock for “No SIM Restrictions”.
- SIM format: A phone without a SIM tray cannot use an airport-bought physical card.
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Before paying, confirm destination coverage, data and hotspot limits, when validity begins, and refund terms if your device is incompatible. Check Hong Kong and Macao separately.
Can I get a Chinese carrier’s eSIM instead?
A travel eSIM covering China is different from an eSIM issued by a mainland carrier. Apple currently says iPhones bought outside mainland China cannot install mainland-carrier eSIMs. Compatible phones can use international travel eSIMs covering China. Check other devices with their manufacturer and the carrier.
Using Your Existing Mobile Plan
Check whether mainland China is included in your home plan or requires a travel pass. Compare the total trip cost, full-speed data allowance, hotspot access, and call and text charges. An included allowance may make a separate eSIM unnecessary.
Confirm the apps you need with your carrier. Some roaming services support overseas apps in mainland China, but this is not a promise for every US or other foreign mobile plan.
Buying a Local SIM in China
Your phone needs a physical SIM tray and must be unlocked for another carrier. Bring it and your passport to a carrier-operated store or confirmed airport service counter. Apply in person and ask for a short-term plan with a Chinese number if needed.
- Beijing Capital and Daxing: Beijing Service counters offer SIM services, including selected advance-reservation and airport-collection options.
8 - Shanghai Pudong: International arrivals have SIM services. The public-arrivals service center offers 7-, 15- and 30-day China Telecom SIMs.
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Confirm data, calls, texts, validity and whether the plan renews or needs cancellation. Ask staff to check compatibility and test mobile data and any included calls or texts before leaving. Counter hours and available plans vary.
Do I need a Chinese number for travel apps?
Not always: Alipay and WeChat support registration with overseas numbers. A +86 number is useful for local calls and services that specifically require one. A data eSIM alone does not supply that number.
Before You Fly and After You Land
After landing:
Enable the travel line, select it for mobile data and follow its data-roaming instructions. Saily requires data roaming on its own eSIM line.
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Keep my original number for bank codes
Codes still go to the number registered with your bank. If your phone supports both lines, keep that SIM enabled, turn off its data roaming and automatic data switching, and use the travel line for data. Confirm incoming SMS support and any call or text charges with your home carrier; keeping the line active is not a guarantee of free service.
My travel data is not working
Check that the correct data line is selected, the plan has activated, and roaming is enabled if required. Check remaining data and follow the provider’s network or APN instructions. Contact support before deleting the eSIM.
Can I use airport Wi-Fi before buying a SIM?
Some airports provide alternatives to SMS login. At Shanghai Pudong, visitors can use passport verification. Follow the airport’s official login instructions or ask staff.
Sources & Updates
Reviewed on 24 October 2026. This guide covers mainland China. Provider descriptions are not CTN performance tests; confirm current plan terms and essential app access before purchase.
- Use eSIM while traveling internationally with your iPhone — Apple Support. Checked 24 October 2026.
- Using eSIM with your iPhone in China mainland — Apple Support. Checked 24 October 2026.
- Stay Connected in China: Is a VPN Required? — Airalo Help Center. Checked 24 October 2026.
- Roaming Data and One SIM, Two Numbers for Mainland Trips — SmarTone. Checked 24 October 2026.
- China eSIM Plans and FAQs — Saily. Checked 24 October 2026.
- How to Activate My Saily eSIM — Saily Help Center. Checked 24 October 2026.
- What Is a Saily Phone Number? — Saily Help Center. Checked 24 October 2026.
- A Guide for Purchasing SIM Cards in Beijing — Beijing Municipal Government. Checked 24 October 2026.
- Pudong Airport Upgrades International Traveler Services — International Services Shanghai / Shanghai Airport Group. Checked 24 October 2026.
- Guidelines for Foreign Nationals on Applying for Telephone SIM Card Services — Tianjin Communications Administration. Checked 24 October 2026.
- How to Use Mobile Payment — Hunan Provincial Government / Ministry of Commerce 2026 Guide. Checked 24 October 2026.
Sources by section and question
- Choose Your Connection — Source 1, Source 3, Source 4, Source 10
- Will Gmail and WhatsApp Work? — Source 3, Source 4
- Travel eSIMs: Check Your Phone First — Source 1, Source 2, Source 5, Source 6
- Using Your Existing Mobile Plan — Source 1, Source 4
- Buying a Local SIM in China — Source 8, Source 9, Source 10, Source 11
- Before You Fly and After You Land — Source 1, Source 5, Source 6, Source 9
- Set Up Your Data Before You Fly — Source 5, Source 6, Source 7